Fluid dispensing closures typically have a one-piece integrally molded plastic shell that includes a base and a lid integrally connected to the base by one or more hinge elements. The base includes a dispensing opening through which product can be dispensed in the open position of the lid, and through which dispensing is blocked in the closed position of the lid. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,638,916, 5,489,035 and 5,913,435 illustrate dispensing closures of this general type. Child-resistance features on dispensing closures of this type tend to be undesirably complex and/or undesirably costly in terms of the mass of plastic and the consequent cost of manufacture. A general object of the present invention is to provide a hinged-lid-type child-resistant dispensing closure, package and method of manufacture in which child-resistance features are simply and economically implemented.
A child-resistant dispensing closure in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes a base having a deck, a dispensing opening in the deck and a peripheral skirt extending from the deck. A lid is integrally hinged to the base for movement between a closed position overlying the deck and an open position spaced from the deck. The base has an opening in the deck adjacent to the peripheral skirt and opposite from the hinge, and a tab extends from the skirt adjacent to the opening. The lid has a lug for snap-coupling over an exterior of the tab in the closed position of the lid. The peripheral skirt on the base is resiliently flexibly moveable into the opening to move the tab out of engagement with the lug on the lid skirt and thereby permit movement of the lid to the open position. In the preferred embodiment, and in accordance with another aspect of the invention, the lid has a skirt with the lug being interiorly disposed on the lid skirt. The base has a ledge for engagement by the lid skirt in the closed position of the lid. The ledge has an outside peripheral dimension that is greater than the corresponding outside peripheral dimension of the lid skirt so that the lid cannot readily be pushed or urged away from the base in the absence of resilient flexure of the base skirt to provide an area for engagement with the lid.
A child-resistant dispensing closure in accordance with a further aspect of the invention includes a base having a deck, a dispensing opening in the deck, a peripheral skirt extending from the deck, an inner skirt extending from the deck within and spaced from the peripheral skirt, and a ledge recessed from the deck around the peripheral skirt. A lid is integrally hinged to the base for movement between a closed position overlying the deck and an open position spaced from the deck. The lid has a skirt for engagement with the ledge around the base in the closed position of the lid. The lid skirt has a peripheral dimension that is less than the corresponding peripheral dimension of the ledge, such that the lid skirt is recessed inwardly on the deck ledge in the closed position of the lid. The base has an arcuate opening in the deck between the inner skirt and the peripheral skirt, such that the peripheral skirt is resiliently flexibly moveable into the arcuate opening so that the lid skirt can be engaged to open the lid. The peripheral skirt has at least one interior channel adjacent to the arcuate opening to localize flexible movement of the peripheral skirt. In the preferred embodiment in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the base has a tab extending from the peripheral skirt adjacent to the arcuate opening, and the lid includes a lug for snap-coupling over the exterior of the tab. The peripheral skirt preferably has a pair of parallel interior channels positioned on opposite sides of the tab for localizing flexure of the peripheral skirt to the area of the tab.